Environmental Health

The OEH&E was created in order to facilitate housing services in an expeditious manner in conjunction with our Self-Governance Compact. During FY 1994, the Absentee Shawnee Tribe submitted to Indian Health Services Addendum No. 3 to the CY 94, Annual Funding Agreement, and now receives funding for the construction of sanitation facilities. The principal role of OEH&E is to raise the health status of our tribal members to the highest possible level by providing sanitation facilities. Contact OEH&E at 405.214.4235 for additional details and information on the following services:

The Mission of the OEH&E Environmental Programs is to protect and preserve the environmental resources of the Absentee Shawnee Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma, both on tribal lands and within shared communities. OEH&E's primary focus is preserving cultural integrity and existing tribal sovereignty by building environmental capacity through tribal environmental code development and implementation.

The OEH&E Office provides the following Water and Wastewater Service:

• New Water Wells
• Water Well Renovations
• Community Water Line Service connections along with hookup and fees
• New Septic Systems
• Renovation of Septic Systems
• Community sewer service lines with hookup and fees
• Septic Tank and drain fields
• Individual sewage lagoons

If you are having water and/or wastewater issues please fill out the following: OEH&E Office Application. If you have any questions please call our office at:  405.214.4235.

• Tribal Brownfields Response Program
• Water Pollution Control Program
• Nonpoint Source Pollution Management Program
• General Assistance Program (GAP)

The Brownfields Program is funded through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency with a mission of empowering local communities, and other stakeholders in economic redevelopment by working together to prevent, assess, clean up, and sustainably reuse brownfield sites.

A brownfield is a property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. The Brownfields Program provides technical assistance for brownfields activities by protecting the environment while addressing potential sites to ensure the health and well-being of our Tribal members, the local community and environment.

You can find the public record of the current and past Brownfield site our program is currently working on here: Brownfield Public Record

Also, we have a facebook page that also contains brownfield information and sites we have completed and are currently working on. Click to like us at: Absentee Shawnee Tribe Brownfield Response Program Facebook Page

Clean Water Act § 106 Water Pollution Control Program authorizes EPA to provide financial assistance to AST to establish and administer programs for the prevention, reduction, and elimination of water pollution. AST collects water quality data on waters important to the Tribe. Data collected is analyzed for the health and safety of our environment and the AST community.

Clean Water Act § 319 Nonpoint Source (NPS) Pollution Management Program allows EPA to fund AST in order to mitigate or prevent polluted runoff. NPS pollution, unlike pollution from industrial and sewage treatment plants, comes from many diffuse sources. NPS pollution is caused by rainfall or snowmelt moving over and through the ground. As the runoff moves, it picks up and carries away natural and human-made pollutants, finally depositing them into lakes, rivers, wetlands, coastal waters and ground waters.

GAP provides tribes:

1. Financial assistance to build tribal government capacity to administer environmental regulatory programs that may be delegated by EPA on Indian lands;

2. Financial assistance for tribes to meaningfully participate in environmental program administration by EPA or authorized states, territories, other tribes, or local governments;

3. Financial assistance for the tribal solid and hazardous waste program development and implementation in accordance with the purposes and requirements of applicable provisions of law, including the Solid Waste Disposal Act (commonly known as the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, or RCRA) and the 2018 Consolidated Appropriations Act; and

4. Technical assistance from EPA to Indian tribal governments and intertribal consortia in the development of multimedia programs to address environmental issues on Indian lands.